Chapter 17, Section 17: Pei Duo's fingertips slid inch by inch down her spine...

Zhao Zhixue had never suffered such humiliation.

He hurt his back before even entering the room to have sex with his wife. If word got out, how could he save face?

Zhao Zhixue, supporting his lower back, had barely moved when he hissed and gasped for breath.

It hurts so much!

My back feels like it's broken.

Jiang Ninghui hurriedly picked up her clothes and wrapped them around herself, then reached out to help Zhao Zhixue.

"Wife, don't move, let me catch my breath."

Zhao Zhixue's forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain. He glanced at Jiang Ninghui and saw no contempt or mockery on her face for his embarrassing back injury at the last moment. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The wind came strangely, like a demonic gust, and it even managed to blow open the bolted windows.

Jiang Ninghui did not dare to help Zhao Zhixue.

She hurriedly got off the bed and went to close the window.

However, the moment my hand touched the window, the feeling of being spied on, which had finally disappeared, returned.

It's like...

It felt like a cold fingertip sliding down her neck toward her spine, inch by inch, until it reached the very bottom.

Her cotton-padded coat and undershirt seemed to become meaningless in an instant, leaving her completely naked under those unseen eyes, allowing them to freely depict her body.

Jiang Ninghui turned pale with fright and hurriedly closed the window.

It took Zhao Zhixue almost fifteen minutes to recover. Jiang Ninghui helped him lie down on the couch and used a towel soaked in hot water to apply heat to the sore spot on his waist. After all that, it was almost the end of Hai Shi (9-11 PM).

Jiang Ninghui was so sleepy that she went to sleep first, and then got up at the end of the morning to make breakfast.

Zhao Zhixue lay on the bed all night, not daring to turn over or move around, suffering terribly.

When Mr. and Mrs. Zhao learned that Zhao Zhixue had twisted his back, they were distressed and asked him what happened. Zhao Zhixue was too embarrassed to say, so he made up an excuse, saying that he had accidentally fallen and twisted his back when he got out of the hotel to use the toilet in the middle of the night.

Today, the Pei family slaughtered a wild boar. Zhao Zhixue couldn't go, but Zhao's father and Jiang Ninghui went instead.

An adult wild boar is quite large; five families can each share a good amount of meat.

Jiang Ninghui felt uncomfortable watching the bloody scene of slaughtering pigs. She wanted to move away, but her father-in-law made her carry a basin to collect the pig's blood. Looking at the bloody scene, Jiang Ninghui's face turned pale. She suppressed the growing chill and resistance in her heart and moved forward lightly.

"sister in law."

A cold and indifferent voice came from behind him.

Jiang Ninghui turned around and saw Pei Duo standing under the eaves.

The young man was dressed in jade-colored clothes, his hair tied up with a jade hairpin, and his tall and straight figure was aloof and cold.

"What does Young Master Pei want with me?"

Jiang Ninghui gripped the edge of the wooden basin tightly, the strong smell of blood filling her nostrils.

Pei Duo stepped forward, took the wooden basin from her hand, and placed it in the hand of Pei's father, who was holding a knife.

Pei's father was stunned.

Pei Duo looked at Zhao's father: "Uncle Zhao, I would like to ask my sister-in-law to tell my mother how to make meat soup dumplings, is that alright?"

Zhao's father knew exactly how much the Pei family had benefited from over the years.

Now that Pei Duo has spoken to him, how could he possibly refuse?

Father Zhao smiled and said, "Of course." Then he turned to Jiang Ninghui with a cold face and said, "Go."

Jiang Ninghui felt extremely honored and followed Pei Duo to the kitchen to see Aunt Xie.

Aunt Xie is not good at cooking, so most of the meals over the years have been prepared by Mr. Pei, all of which she learned from her mother-in-law.

Seeing the meat and fermented dough on the cutting board, Jiang Ninghui decided to demonstrate for Aunt Xie herself.

Looking at Jiang Ninghui's gentle and obedient nature, Xie sighed inwardly.

In the countryside, her personality made her a target of bullying by the Zhao family. If she had been born into the royal family, she would probably have been devoured by the treacherous royal family until not even bones remained.

Jiang Ninghui finished making the meat patties, and the work outside was almost done.

She said goodbye to Aunt Xie and took the already prepared pig's blood back home.

Pei's father came in from outside and glanced at the meat soup dumplings on the cutting board: "Did Sui Sui make these?"

Madam Xie smiled and said, "Hmm, Sui Sui's hands are really skillful."

Pei's father put the knife into the basin and glanced at the meat soup cakes: "Wife, after all these years, this is the first time I've heard Duo'er say what he wants to eat. From childhood to adulthood, he has always eaten whatever we make and has never made any requests, let alone been picky. Today, it's like the sun has risen in the west."

Madam Xie: "Perhaps it's because Duo'er has been eating Sui Sui's cooking for the past few months and has gotten used to it. But Sui Sui's cooking skills are indeed better than ours."

Today is New Year's Day, and the food in every household is much better than usual.

The school was closed for three days. Zhao Zhixue lay on his bed for a day and a half. On the afternoon of the third day, Young Master Pei came to ask Zhao Zhixue if he wanted to go to town together. Zhao Zhixue replied, "Yes, I'll pack right away."

Zhao's father and Li wanted Zhao Zhixue to rest for a few more days, but Zhao Zhixue refused.

With only a few months left until next year's autumn examinations, every day of rest means one less day of learning.

If the key points the teacher discusses that day happen to be the very points that will be tested in the provincial examination next year, Zhao Zhixue doesn't want to miss any opportunity.

The couple still rode in the carriage hired by Pei Duo. Zhao Zhixue was now able to get out of bed and walk, but he had to support his waist and walk slowly. If he walked too fast, his waist would feel like it was about to break and he would be in unbearable pain.

The carriage was quite high, and Jiang Ninghui's slender frame clearly couldn't support Zhao Zhixue.

Zhao's father and Li helped Zhao Zhixue onto the carriage. Li gave Jiang Ninghui many instructions, every word of which concerned Zhao Zhixue. Jiang Ninghui nodded gently: "I will remember them and will take good care of my husband."

The Pei couple also gave Pei Duo a few words of advice.

The carriage slowly drove away from Xiping Village, and Jiang Ninghui lifted the curtain to look outside.

As the sun began to set in the afternoon, layer upon layer of mountains rose behind the carriage. The parents-in-law stood outside the courtyard, watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance.

She knew that what they were reluctant to part with was their husband.

After spending several months in town without spending time with her in-laws every day, Jiang Ninghui suddenly felt a sense of oppression and suffocation after returning and spending the last two and a half days with them again.

Her father-in-law's constant snorting and eye-rolling, and her mother-in-law's constant reminders of the five taels of silver, all served as a constant reminder to her, making her understand a principle from the bottom of her heart.

She didn't marry into the Zhao family to enjoy a life of leisure; she was meant to serve them all well.

She must also serve her husband well.

Jiang Ninghui dared not think too deeply about how her in-laws would treat her if they found out one day that the Jiang family had lied to them.

I'm afraid that... even tearing her tendons and bones out wouldn't be enough to vent my anger.

Jiang Ninghui lowered the carriage curtain and sat quietly beside Zhao Zhixue, holding his arms with both hands to make him more comfortable.

It was very quiet inside the carriage.

The only sounds were the hoofbeats of horses and the crunch of wheels rolling over the snow.

Jiang Ninghui vaguely sensed a gaze hovering over her head, and she subconsciously looked up.

Young Master Pei sat in the middle, holding a book, his head bowed and eyes lowered, not looking at her.

The young man leaned against the carriage wall with his eyes closed, his brows furrowed as he felt discomfort in his back from sitting for so long.

He didn't even look at her.

Was it just her imagination?

An hour later, the carriage arrived at the courtyard in Qingping Town. Zhao Zhixue was in so much pain in his back that he couldn't stand up. Jiang Ninghui put his arm on her shoulder and tried to help him up. Pei Duo grabbed Zhao Zhixue's forearm that was on Jiang Ninghui's shoulder and glanced down at Jiang Ninghui, who was looking up in confusion.

The young man said, "Sister-in-law, let me help Brother Zhao inside. I'd also like to trouble you to light some charcoal for my room."

Young Master Pei is incredibly strong, far surpassing her strength. It would be perfect for him to support the young master.

She gently arched her eyebrows and smiled, "Then I'll trouble you, Young Master Pei. I'll go and light the charcoal fire now."

Zhao Zhixue smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Pei."

Pei Duo lowered his eyes, his voice extremely cold: "It's alright."

He glanced at the arm clenched in his palm, his narrow eyes tinged with a faint chill.

It seems I used a bit too much force that night.

It's my sister-in-law who's had to work so hard, taking care of such a useless person.

That night, even though his sister-in-law said she didn't want to anymore, he still insisted.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his back would break.

Jiang Ninghui took in whatever she could carry, then rolled up her sleeves and went to Pei Duo's room.

No one had lived there for three days, and the temperature inside was icy cold.

She went to the kitchen to get some kindling, and after the fire started, she put charcoal into the charcoal brazier. She only got up after the charcoal fire was no longer going out.

Just as Jiang Ninghui was about to go out, she noticed a large sheet of Xuan paper draped diagonally over the edge of the desk by the window. If a spark were to fly, it could burn a hole in the paper.

She walked over and picked up the Xuan paper, but when she saw the portrait on it, she suddenly froze.

Jiang Ninghui was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice the footsteps getting closer.

A tall, upright figure extended and climbed up from Jiang Ninghui's feet, gradually swallowing her slender figure into the tall, imposing figure of the young man. A very faint scent of cedar wafted into Jiang Ninghui's nose, and then a clear and pleasant voice suddenly rang in her ear.

"sister in law."

The person seemed to be speaking close to her ear, the burning heat feeling like the young man's warm fingertips caressing her earlobe.

Jiang Ninghui's attention shifted from the pair of almond-shaped eyes in the portrait, which were filled with tears of passion.

She hurriedly backed away, trying to avoid the scorching heat.

Unexpectedly, this step back resulted in his back crashing straight into the young man's arms.

Instantly, the scent of cedarwood burst forth, tearing through her clothes and penetrating her body, leaving her covered in the same fragrance.

Pei Duo lowered his head, his dark pupils fixed intently on the woman pressed against him.

The young man was much taller than Jiang Ninghui, and the person in his arms didn't even reach his shoulder.

His gaze fell on the portrait in her hand, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes, moist with passion, came into view. It was the scene he saw when he pushed open the door after Jiang Ninghui and her husband had shared a room and were sitting by the window.

I was deeply moved.

Pei Duo slightly raised his eyebrows, his broad shoulders lowered, and his thin lips brushed against her ear, his deep, magnetic voice pouring out.

"What do you think of my drawing, sister-in-law?"

A note from the author:

----------------------

There's a red envelope in this chapter!